Process of re-forming tobacco-stems.



and smell, and these last-mentioned D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ASSIGNOR. 'ro MAX GOLDSMITH, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF RE-FORMIN G TOBACCO-STEMS.

No Drawing.

, To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADOLPH MOONELIS, a

citizen of the United States, residing in the cityof New York, boroughof Manhattan, county and State-of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Re-Forming Tobacco-Stems, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to methods of pro ducing from tobacco stems and the like what may be termed reconstructed sheets of tobacco. It is well known that in the com mercial use of the tobacco plant, for whatever purpose, the stems have'always been discarded as absolutely worthless, although they possess substantially the same chemical ingredients as the usable leaf which is stripped therefrom, largely for the reason that the stems are not of a form available for use for any purpose and, on account of the more or less viscous character of some of the component oils and juices, it has been exceedingly difficult to reconstruct or transform them to fulfil the desired requirements.

For many years efforts have been made to convert tobacco stems into thin sheets of tobacco, sometimes by way offirst extracting the oils and juices from the stems, leaving substantially pure fiber of the tobacco plant, then converting the ex- .purgated stems into sheets and finally reincorporating in these sheets either the oils and juices which were extracted from the stems or the oils and juices extracted from other stems or tobacco scrap and refuse. Others have attempted to convert the stems into tobacco sheets while in their natural state,

leavin therein throughout the entire process theto acco oils and juices. Theoretically, it has not proven exceedingly diflicult .to carry out either of these processes, but it is well known that to be successful for practical purposes a product must be obtained which possesses qualities other than those which are inherent in its material or structural form, for the manner in which tobacco is, used makes it necessary that it possess qualitieswhich appeal to the senses of taste ua 1- ties are unquestionably affected by seemmgly slight and immaterial steps in the process of production thereof. Furthermore, there are other desirable, not to say essential, qualities which should be inherent in reconstructed tobacco sheets, particularly when Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24 1916.

Application filed October 22, 1914. Serial No. 868,030.

is known to smokers as the even burning of the cigar, and it is also required, at least by fastidious smokers, that a cigar burn to a white ash and not to what is termed a red ash, the latter being theresult, as'a rule, of the use of an inferior quality of tobacco and usually a leaf having a chemical composition which causes the smoker to experience what is known as a rancid or bitter taste. V

Some years ago I discovered that the character of the water employed in the process of making sheets from tobacco stems had a very decided effect upon the quality of the product, due to the presence in the water, even when carefully filtered and whether what is known as hard or soft, of certain foreign substances in solution which results in undesirable chemical reactions when joined with certain of the oils and juices of tobacco. By using distilled water an essentially improved product resulted, and this use of the distilled water was made the subject of an earlier patent which was granted to me on Febru them exteriorly to a comparatively high temperature, as by steaming-for the'purpose of softening thempreliminary to com- 1ninutiona step which has heretofore been considered necessary in the manufacture of paper pulp from fibrous vegetable solids not only has a very decided chemical efi'ect upon the resulting product, it being well known that certain solids are water-soluble at a high temperature while insoluble 'at comparatively low temperatures, and that many chemicalreact-ions take place under the application of even a comparatively slight degree of heat which do not take place at what may be termed normal temperatures,

but also destroys the bacteria or ferments -which, as is well known, effect a natural process of decomposition or fibrous disintegration of vegetablematter through the consumption of certain hardening or solidifying gums present in fibrous vegetable matter in its natural state, thus'changing the physical condition of-such matter as a whole without changing the chemical organization of the fibers themselves and, in the case of the tobacco plant at least, without effecting chemical reactions which undesirably or deleteriously affect the qualities of an ultimate product. In fact, it is probably true that the action of these bacteria improves such product as these qualities are judged and valued by users. of tobacco. Vithout attempting to go in detail into the chemistry of tobacco, I have undoubtedly demonstrated that an essentially superior roduct results from a process throughout which the materials are retained at a substantially normal or atmospheric temperature, thus permitting the desired bacterial action. Furthermore, it is well known that the action of bacteria 'in organic matter, during what may be termed the natural process of decomposition, generates heat, and that if this heat is not dissipated, but is so far as possible retained within the decomposing material, certain chemical reactions take place which would not take place at a temperature sufiiciently high as to destroy the bacteria, although the raising of the temperature artificially, through the application of heat applied externally, would undoubtedly produce much the same purely physical effects in a much shorter period of time. Whatever these natural reactions may be, it

is certain that what I may term by con-.

verse unnatural reactionssuch as take place only at an abnormally high temperature or upon the application of heat exteriorly to a bacterially destructive degreehave an undesirable if not a deleterious effect upon the quality of the product, whereas the socalled natural reactions, particularly when facilitated by the employment of distilled or chemically pure water, result in a product which not only compares most favorably in all respects with the natural leaf from a tobacco plant ofthe same kind and character as the stems of which were employed in the production of the artificial leaf, but which is of the desirable light brown color which I have found it impossible to produce when the stems are artificially heated.

In carrying out my improved process, I take about two thousand pounds of stems of the desired quality and moisten the same either by sprinkling with water or by dipping them in a tank of water, the water being substantially free of lime and saline matterpreferably distilledin either case. I then wrap this bundle of stems in a blanket, of any suitable fabric or material which has heat-insulating qualities, and set this bundle to one side for a preliminary period of from twenty-four to thirty-six hours. Under such conditions, these stemsthe same as would any other organic matter-start to decompose, or to undergo a process of fibrous disintegration, due to the hereinbefore explained bacterial action, which softens the stems to permit of their ready comminution. As stated, this process of bacterial decomposition generates heat, which is largely held within the bundle by its enveloping blanket, and in View of the fact that the temperature obviously becomes highest at the center of the bundle, and gradually decreases toward the exterior thereof, after the before-mentioned period of time, twenty-four to thirtysix hours, I stir up or agitate the stems by hand or otherwise to make the temperature of the bundle as a whole substantially uni-' form, and again set the same aside, repeating this stirring or agitating process at in tervals of about twenty-four hours for a complete period of from ten to fourteen days, adding wateragain substantially free of lime and saline matter and preferably distilled-every day to keep the outer layers of stems properly saturated.

The step in my improved process as described above may be termed a sweating process at a mesne normal temperature that is to say, a temperature never low enough to prevent or impede natural fibrous disintegration and never high enough to destroy organizations which are supposed to effect fermentation or decomposition of vegetable matter. In practice, I endeavor to carry out this sweating process at an external temperature not. lower than nor higher than 90, Fahrenheit. In making use of the term sweating, furthermore, I do so more particularly in contradistinction to methods of expediting the softening of vegetable matter by boiling or steaming or otherwise subjecting the same to relatively high external temperatures.

In their original dry condition, the stems are more or less brittle, and when a few 5 thereof are broken in the hand they separate with a sharp cracking or snapping sound, while when in a suitable condition of softness or fibrous disintegration for comminution, these stems may be torn apart in the 110 hand Without appreciable sound. In fact, if the sub-process of sweating, as hereinbefore described, is sufiiciently prolonged, the stems become of what may be best termed.

a mushy consistency and may readily be 115 reduced to a pulpy mass by compressing and rubbing the same between the fingers. In this manner I determine by actual test, after nine or ten days, when the stems are sufficiently soft to be made into pulp. When this test indicates that the stems are 111 a sufiiciently soft condition, I may continue my process in either one of two different sources being subsequently incorporated in the tobaccoshets, and the other having in view the extraction of the so-lubleingredients in such a manner that the same may be reinther use of the water-soluble ingredients,

need not be distilled. In practice, I prefer that the beater should be of such size that the stems and water practically fill the same. These stems have a more or less greasy outer coating which is first removed and taken up by the water, along with the water-soluble ingredients of the stems, so that whenthe liquid is drained off'a substantially pure fibrous pulp remains. This solution, fibers and all, after from sixteen to twenty-four hours, is drawn off into a suitable receptacle which is preferably located below the beater, and from this receptacle is pumped into what is known as a refining engine, wherein the fibers are refined, and from this refining engine the solution is delivered in the usual manner to the felts of a paper making machine, through the interposition of what is known as a cylinder mold, provided with a suction pump, and which withdraws the surplus water and practically all water-solubles, so that substantially pure fiber is delivered to the felts. On the other hand, if it is desired to reincorporate in the sheets-of pure tobacco fiber the same soluble ingredients that have been extracted from the stems, I employ what is known in this art as a rotary, which is a revolving container in which I place the softened stems with about two hundred gallons of distilled water, and in which, as in the beater, is removed the outer greasy coating of the stems, and this with the watersoluble ingredients is taken up by the water. The solution is drained off in about an hour, and at that time is of a consistency of about 2 to 4, hydrometer test. This solution is then evaporated down to a consistency of from 15 to 30, hydrometer test, depending upon the desired strength and color of the product, and constitutes a pasty mass which may be readily applied to the reconstructed sheets and reincorporated therein through saturation and pressure. The stems are then placed in a heater, and are comminuted and the pulp handled in the manner hereinbefore described.

Whether the tobacco extract which is to be incorporated in the tobacco sheets is the same as was withdrawn from the stems from which the paper was made, or whether this extract has been obtained from other sources, it is reduced, as suggested, to a pasty form which may either be spread in any desired manner upon the moving sheet, after the same has been dried to a sufficient de ree, and be pressed thereinto by suitable rol ers, or the paste or extract may be spread upon the sheets as they are cut from the strip and a pile thereof be subjected to pressure to secure a more or less even distribution of the extract throughout each sheet and proper impregnation of the latter.

Many modifications-0f minor details of my improved process of producing reconstructed sheets of tobacco will doubtless readily suggest themselves to those skilledin the art to which this process appertains, and I therefore do not desire to limit myself specifically to the steps and the described order thereof hereinbefore set forth.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The process of producing tobacco sheets from tobacco stems and the like which consists in sweating the same in confinement at mesne normal external temperatures for a period of time sufficient to reduce the same to a mushy consistency, and converting the softened stems into substantially homogeneous sheets.

2. The process of producing tobacco sheets from tobacco stems and the like which consists in softening said stems by bacterial action only, and converting the softened stems into sheets.

3. The process of producing tobacco sheets from tobacco stems, which consists in sweating the same at mesne normal external temperatures for a period of time sufficient to reduce said stems to a mushy consistency, extracting the water-soluble ingredients therefrom, converting. the softened stems into sheets, and incorporating in said sheets a suitable tobacco extract.

5. The process of producing tobacco sheets from tobacco stems and the like which consists in confining said stems in a moist condition without the application of external heat until thoroughly softened by natural bacterial disintegration, extracting the water-soluble ingredients therefrom, converting said stems into sheets, and incorporating in said sheets a suitable tobacco extract.

6. The process of producing tobacco sheets from tobacco stems and the like which consists in confining said stems in a moist condition, adding water from time to time to retain the same in such condition until softened by natural bacterial disintegration, extracting the water-soluble ingredients out the bundle thereof, subjecting said stems when softened by this process of natural fibrous disintegration and while immersed in water to the action of a beater which comminutes said stems and extracts therefrom the water-soluble ingredients, withdrawing the free liquid to leave substantially pure fiber of tobacco plant in the form of pulp, converting said pulp into sheets and incorporating therein a suitable tobacco extract.

In testimony of the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

ADOLPH MOONELIS.

Witnesses EDWIN D. HAYS, HENRY ABELBON. 

